Hello, everybody. There's a whole lot of ground to cover, so consider this blog to be my 32nd birthday gift to you. First up...

As I broke it to you on Tuesday, $1,281 was announced by Gov. Sean Parnell as the amount for this year's Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend, down only $24 from last year's $1,305 payout. And for the first time, both direct deposits and checks will be distributed on October 7, but with our economy once again in the dumps with the elections near, some of us might put our spending plans on hold.

While we're on the subject of elections, Sen. Lisa Murkowski is continuing her do-or-die quest to keep Joe Miller and Scott McAdams at bay in her write-in bid. Since launching it last weekend, Murkowski has regained support from those who had mistakenly voted for Miller in last month's primaries. Okay, we'll admit it: we did that just to test Lisa's nerve temporarily. And in other good news: Murkowski has regained her post on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

But next week, the Tea Party Express will be on the prowl here to ensure Miller will take over Murkowski's seat for good as they'll be launching a new campaign. In other words, they are out to destroy everything in their path, and we don't want that to happen. As for McAdams? He's pretty much the only person sitting back and enjoying all this...for now.

Former Gov. Sarah Palin, who's leading the charge for Joe Miller, is these days leading a different charge for daughter Bristol as far as "Dancing With The Stars" is concerned with David Hasselhoff suddenly being the first to pack his shoes and go. With the rest of this season's lineup including "Brady" Mom Florence Henderson, basketball player turned actor Rick Fox, reality sexpot Audrina Patridge, former NFL star Kurt Warner, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino from "Jersey Shore", and R&B singer Brandy among others, they're doing whatever it takes to be the one show that will finally dethrone "American Idol" (even with new judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler joining Randy Jackson) as the season's #1 show. But now that the Hoff is off, I'm now pulling for the Fox.

Meanwhile, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore are trying to pull their marriage together as "Star" magazine published a bombshell report about Ashton and alleged mistress Brittney Jones exchanging some sexy text messages and even having a one-night stand with the actor. On Thursday, the couple put those rumors to rest as they appeared at the Clinton Global Initiative conference in New York on a very serious front: jumpstarting their "Real Men" campaign against child sex slavery.

Before they married each other, Ashton and Demi had a slew of lovers before: Ashton, January Jones and the late Brittany Murphy; Demi, marriages to Freddy Moore and later Bruce Willis. As for Jones? We have learned a few details about the 21-year-old, that she's a gold digger who has fallen out with the mother and sister and likes to party hard.

In other words, she was out there to break up a now five-year marriage. To borrow a title from one of Demi's films, it was an indecent proposal that may have been backfired.

And last but not least: Once upon a time, it was "C Is For Cookie". But now in the case of Katy Perry, Cookie Monster's famous anthem should be "C Is For Cleavage!"

A remix of "Hot & Cold" featuring Elmo that Katy did some time ago has been pulled from an upcoming broadcast of "Sesame Street" because parents have complained about Katy showing a little too much on the chestal area. However, the video is already a worldwide hit on YouTube, and it was quite a way to cap off an incredible summer for Perry with her new album "Teenage Dream" topping the charts and her impending nuptials to Russell Brand.

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with the video, as "Sesame Street" over the last 40 years has had celebrity guests interacting with their Muppet characters. And after all...except for Bert and Ernie, aren't Elmo, Big Bird, and others totally nude?

By the time this blog is put to bed, Katy will have appeared on "Saturday Night Live." But as far as this latest controversy is concerned? I guess "Sesame Street" will no longer be brought to us by the letters T and A! So long and stay strong.